discovered by Cliff Fabri while singing country covers

In December 1999, Lavigne was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston . Fabri sent out VHS tapes of Lavigne’s home performances to several industry prospects, and Lavigne was visited by several executives. Mark Jowett, co-founder of a Canadian management firm, Nettwerk , received a copy of Lavigne’s karaoke performances recorded in her parents’ basement. Jowett arranged for Lavigne to work with producer Peter Zizzo during the summer of 2000 in New York, where she wrote the song “Why”. Lavigne was noticed by Arista Records during a trip to New York.